NEW YORK—How wild is choreographer David Parsons? When his dancers leap onto the stage of the Joyce Theater, they have a breezy air. They regard us warily yet seem confident their agility will keep them out of harm’s way. Viewers may think Tarzan has just swung in on a vine.

In Parsons Dance, the performers skip and lope. They flex muscular shoulders yet their arms drape casually, proving they have energy to spare. Their moves are smooth and meticulously polished. Parsons cultivates asymmetry when a dancer tucks in one knee and slouches to the side. This choreographer's groomed shag is more Vidal Sassoon than Sasquatch, though, artfully suggesting natural grace. And in “Round My World,” the first of two premieres this season, complex patterning keeps feral impulses in check.

The new piece, which debuted on Tuesday, was inspired by telecommunications. Parsons translates the roundness and interconnectedness of the globe into obsessive circling. His inventions seem limitless. From the simple opening, with six dancers gathered in a ring, to the little circles that a jogger traces backward on the floor, Parsons has dreamed up a hundred different ways to state his theme. The curves and loops are beautiful, but eventually the idea begins to pall. “Round My World” can feel confining, and moments when the dancers scramble, seeking partners, or spread out in a line spell relief.

As four lonesome characters huddle and sway, the sounds of a rainy day in the city give way to back-country blues. Composer Kenji Bunch has arranged traditional, hard-luck ballads like “Another Man Done Gone,” which he sings raw. Skarpetowska’s composition is open, with solos that give some wonderful dancers a chance to break out. Christina Ilisije tenses in an amazing bridge. Jason Macdonald crouches, backing away from a light that casts his shadow on the backdrop.

Meanwhile, Elena D’Amario and Christopher Bloom pass by, clutching each other in novel ways. Though they seem locked together, Skarpetowska leaves us wondering if she will leave him. Or, if she wants to stay, will he take her back?

Similarly the duet D’Amario shares with Eric Bourne in Parsons’ “Swing Shift” humanizes another brisk, tautly controlled ensemble piece. When Bourne seems inclined to depart, D’Amario won’t let him go. The desperate moment passes. Pressing his hand to her midriff, she draws him back and, cuddling, they rock side-to-side.

Parsons’ strobe-lit solo “Caught” has become inevitable, not astonishing, but in Bourne the choreographer has found a soloist who makes revisiting this piece worthwhile. His long and powerful frame twists into beautiful lines before the flashes even start.